The Tele 1 television channel, under the administration of a trustee since 2025, has been put up for sale by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) before even the first hearing of the case that led to the opposition broadcaster’s seizure.
One of many opposition channels that have been confiscated, the Tele 1 case centers on allegations of espionage against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the channel’s editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardağ among others.
Responding to both the sale and the opening tender price of 28 million lira, Yanardağ said: 'This figure doesn't even cover three months of Tele 1's operating expenses. In 2025, our employees' salaries for just five months came to more than this. They want to strip our channel bare, sell it for nothing, and leave us saddled with the debts.'
Tele 1 was among the few remaining opposition television channels and was owned by ABC Radyo Televizyon. Yanardağ, 67, noted that last year an investor had offered 15 times more for Tele 1, and had even expressed an intention to increase the amount, but they had refused to sell.
On Oct. 24, 2025, at 7:30 PM, the channel was raided by the police while the Tele 1 main news bulletin was on air, and its broadcast was halted. The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office led to the arrests of İmamoğlu, his advisor Necati Özkan and Yanardağ on Oct. 27, 2025, on charges of sharing personal data belonging to the people of Istanbul with Hüseyin Gün, allegedly connected to foreign intelligence agencies. The prosecutor requested İmamoğlu, Gün, Özkan, and Yanardağ to be sentenced to 15-20 years in prison each for political espionage. The first hearing of the case will be held on May 11.
The TMSF was established to protect savers and manage failed banks but is now one of the country’s biggest media groups, managing hundreds of companies seized by the state, including media outlets.
In addition to Tele 1, Habertürk, Show TV, Bloomberg HT, Flash Haber TV and Ekotürk are currently managed by trustees due to various legal investigations. Flash Haber TV was put up for sale with a base price of 84 million lira, and Ekotürk TV with a base price of 26 million lira last year. Tenders were held for Flash Haber TV in Oct. 2025 and for Ekotürk TV in Nov. 2025, but despite the months that have passed, the results of the tenders have not been announced, and no transfer process has taken place.
On the other hand, no statement has yet been made regarding the sale of Can Media Group’s Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT, which came under the management of the TMSF on Sept. 11, 2025. Can Media Group is accused of money laundering in connection with its purchase of these television channels from Ciner Media in December 2024.
